The Past is But a Prologue
by Namorita
Summary: Chapter 9 added. And in the Red Corner, weighing in at 135 lbs, Kurt, The Fuzzy Blue Elf, Wagner! And in the blue corner, weighing in at 175lbs, Remy, The Red Devil, Le Beau!
1. Beginnings

This is my first attempt at writing X-Men Fiction, so please be kind. In fact, I have never read any of the comics, just enjoyed the movies, and began watching Evo. This story will have plenty of romance, ROMY, LANCITTY, KURTY, AMYRO, JUBBIE, among others. Let me know what you think. 

***Disclaimer—I own none of the X-Men, and I will make no profit off of this story. The end.***

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**Beginnings**

Rogue Darkholme sat underneath her favorite tree on the Xavier property. It faced the cliffs, and was the perfect place to watch the sky turn into blazing ribbons of red and gold as the sun sank into nothingness.

Rogue rested her head on her hands, taking a deep breath and trying not to scream out loud. It had been four long days since the battle with Apocalypse, and she had not quite recovered from absorbing Dorian Leech's powers. But there were stranger parts to that story, parts she wouldn't quite let herself think about, much less admit to others…

Rogue leaned back against the tree and pushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ears. She closed her eyes and concentrated on clearing her mind, with the hope that her meditation would allow her psyches to calm.

_Ok, a deep breath. Fill your lungs until they hurt. Exhale slowly. Concentrate on your heart beating. Slowly follow the blood, concentrating on your veins. Feel it pulsing in your neck, behind your eyes, in your head. Go back down your neck, into your arms. Feel it in your wrists. Deep breaths. Slow._

She opened her eyes. The sky was completely dark; the only traces of light in front of her were the tiny patches of stars that gleamed overhead. "Well, at least tha' work'd some."

"Talking to yourself?"

Rogue jerked her head to the side at the intrusion. Sitting under the next tree was one of the fellow residents of the mansion, Bobby Drake.

"Didn't ya' ma eva teach ya that it's not nice to sneak up on people?" the Goth growled.

"I was sitting here, under my tree, minding my own business when you started talking to yourself. I haven't moved. How is that sneaking up on you?"

"Ya obviously did. I only had my eyes closed for a moment and then when I open them, ya' next to me."

Bobby looked at her quizzically. "For a moment? You've been out of it for a few hours. We tried to wake you earlier, but Professor X told us to leave you alone."

Rogue softened. "Oh. So why are you out here?"

Bobby glanced back towards the house. "Trying to get some peace and quiet. Our new housemates are running wild in there. Well, except for my new roommate. I think he's reading or something."

Rogue followed Bobby's glance. "Ya must be with Piotr. He's probably the only one who knows how to read. I skipped out before tha new roommate selections. Who else is with who?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe the Professor made us all switch up our roommates like that. Me and Ray were just fine together. Sure, we got in just a little bit of trouble every now and then." Bobby snickered. "Now he's with John. Can't wait to see how that goes. Don't they say an electrical fire is the hardest to put out?"

"Ah thought the Professor took away John's lighters?"

"He did. But that doesn't mean John won't start a fire. You should see him following Amara around like a lovesick puppy, begging her to flame up for him." He paused. "I bet Roberto would flame up for John in a heart beat. Just don't tell Rhane."

Rogue snickered. "Ah, bet he would too."

"So, you're with Piotr, Ray's with John, who else?"

"Well, Kurt's with Remy…he really loves that one. He kept mumbling about being with the guy who kidnapped her sister…. then he goes into a lot of German. No ones really sure what he says, but I think he's cursing or something."

"Ah told him to drop it. Remy didn't really kidnap me…. he more of…abducted me. But he didn't hurt me, so ah wish he'd just drop it. Who else?"

Bobby paused, trying to remember. "Sam's with Lance. Roberto's with Pietro." Once again, he paused to snicker. "That's going to turn out interesting. What do you say, two weeks until the beds end up pushed together? Anyways, Todd and Fred are still together, they refused to split up and no one argued. And Scott's with Jamie. I guess the Professor didn't expect the rest of us to be a good enough influence."

"And tha' girls?"

"You do know you're with Wanda, right?" Rogue nodded. "Kitty is with Jubes. Rhane and Amara are back together. Jean is still by herself. Tabby decided not to come back."

Rogue leaned against the tree one last time. "Ah guess ah should be getting back." She stood slowly, then reached to grab her bag, and started walking back to the house. Bobby glanced over to the tree where she had been sitting a moment before and noticed something lying on the ground. He walked over to pick it up, with every intention of giving it back to her when he reached the mansion until he recognized the object. The Queen of Hearts.

"I guess I wasn't the only one watching her tonight."


	2. Under the Sea

This is my first attempt at writing X-Men Fiction, so please be kind. In fact, I have never read any of the comics, just enjoyed the movies, and began watching Evo. 

***Disclaimer---I own nothing in the story, all is property of Marvel, including my name**

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UNDER THE SEA

Alex Summers pulled himself out of the surf, and collapsed on a beach towel not too far from the shoreline. There he pondered the question that had been evading him all day—"How come Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?"

He didn't have too long to ponder the question, his attention was drawn away to a girl sitting not too far from where he lay. Clad in a black wetsuit, she had long dirty blonde hair that fell down across her shoulders. What truly registered in Alex's mind was the muscular man sitting beside her.

"Come on, Baby, just tell me your name. Joel don't want to hurt you, he just wants to get to know you."

"Do you have any idea of how annoying it is when people talk in third person?" the girl replied. "And I don't want to get to know Joel, so please go away."

"Ok, I'll leave. But you got to give me a kiss first," Joel replied and winked at the group of guys standing not to far from the beach towel.

"I'm telling you, go away!"

"What's the matter baby, think I'm more than you could handle? I bet I could handle you pretty well"

Alex decided he had about enough with Joel. He stood up and walked over to the beach towel. "I think she said to leave." Joel looked over at the surfer boy who had dared to confront him.

"Why don't you just leave, pretty boy."

"Not until you do"

Joel stood up and took a step closer to Alex. "I told you to go, she" he referenced to the girl on the towel, "and I are just having a little talk. We don't need a little pretty boy like you around pestering us. So leave now, or I guess I'll have to make you."

Alex just smiled. In the week since he had fought Magneto at Apocalypse's Mexican temple, he had been craving a good fight. "So if I'm the pretty boy, I guess that makes you the butt ugly one right? I mean, lets face it, my man, why would a girl who looks like her want to go anywhere with a guy that resembles a dogs ass?"

The guys clustered behind Joel started laughing. Joel, however, didn't seem to find the comment all that funny. He swung at Alex, but Alex easily stepped out away from Joel, causing him to stagger a little.

"So what then? You think you can take me asshole? I've fought with guys a lot more frightening then you. You want to hurt me? I'd like to see you try."

Joel launched himself at Alex, but again, Alex sidestepped the loser. Because he was in the process at laughing at Joel, he didn't notice that one of Joel's friends had snuck behind him, but his presence was quickly noticed when the guy pulled Alex's hand behind his back. Alex was just about to fire up his powers when he remembered that policemen frequented this beach. One hint of his powers, and there would be hell to pay. Besides, he could take on these losers without powers, right?

Just then Joel landed a punch into Alex's gut, knocking the wind out of him, followed quickly by a second, then a third. A gleam of silver lit into the air as a knife opened. "Will you still be so pretty when I cut up your face?"

"Leave him alone!" the girl screamed and launched herself at Joel, jumping on his back and pulling his hair. "BITCH!" Joel screamed as he threw her off, and his buddy's quickly grabbed her by the arms. Figuring the situation was out of control, Alex began charging his hands…

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOUR NECK" one of Joel's buddies suddenly screamed. Joel quickly turned around and both he and Alex noticed that the neck of the girls wetsuit had came unzipped, and there they saw three slits on either side, that opened and closed when she breathed. "HOLY SHIT, YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE MUTIES, AREN'T YOU?"

Alex had apparently been forgotten as Joel advanced on the girl with his knife. The girl was obviously struggling against the freaked out co-eds. Suddenly, the guy behind Alex screamed, as Alex blasted him in the stomach. Then turned his attention to Joel. With red glowing hands he demanded, "Leave her alone!" 

"GOD DAMMIT! YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE FREAKS TOO? NOW I DON'T KNOW WHO TO FUCK UP FIRST."

"I don't think you're getting it, asshole. You're the one about to be fucked up, not us. Now get the hell away from her."

The girl screamed, and as Alex whirled around he noticed the guy who had been holding him was now aiming a gun at him. With a quick blast, Alex knocked the gun out of the guy's hand, sending it flying across the sand, sending a group of onlookers screaming in the opposite direction, and one of the guy's who were holding the girl running after it. The girl used this to her advantage and elbowed her remaining captive in the stomach. Alex ran towards her, shooting blasts towards Joel as quick as he could. He grabbed the girls hand and started pulling her towards the parking lot, when they both noticed two policemen heading towards them, guns drawn.

"This way," the girl dragged Alex down towards the waters edge, and into the Surf. Still holding Alex's hand, she pulled him under the water and into the tide. Together they swam down farther and farther until Alex's lungs began to burn. He tugged at the girls hand, indicating that he had to go up, but she was still swimming, holding on to his hand so tight he couldn't get out of her grip. His head started to spin, and things started to go blurry in front of his eyes, when the girl suddenly stopped, and pressing her lips to Alex's exhaled a stream of oxygen down his throat. Pulling away, she watched him for a second, then repeated the process. Then she pulled him back down, and together they swam along the current, pausing frequently for the girl to fill Alex's lungs with air, and then continuing along their way. 

When they finally reached the beach the girl was obviously aiming for, a beach covered in tourists, who wouldn't notice two people rising from the surf, they did just that, the girl zipping her wetsuit back over her neck to hide what were obviously gills. Alex headed straight for the pay phone to call his parents.

When they answered the phone, they quickly informed him that he had been identified at the beach, and the police were searching for him, identifying him as a "dangerous mutant," and without saying it, implied not to come home, for his own safety. Alex hung up the phone, and then placed a second collect call, one to a place where he knew would be safe.

"Kitty? It's Alex. I need to talk to the professor….Yeah, you heard about it? My parents called you? Yeah, we need him to come get us…"he paused and looked at the girl. "Where are we?" "Kahuka" "Hey Kitty, we're at Kahuka. Yeah, we'll be waiting. Thanks."

He hung up the phone and turned to look at the girl. "By the way, I'm Alex Summers. I don't think I introduced myself earlier, what with Joel and his goodtime buddies harassing you."

She smiled. "Namorita Prentiss. But my friends call me Nita."

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Ok guys, please review and tell me what you think. I'm being very careful with Nita, choosing to sidestep the fact that she is actually Homo Mermanus, and not entirely human. I am making her a mutant, and just choosing to ignore the fact that she is half mermaid, and the fact that she is a clone (There is no room for clones in my story—sorry X23, please don't kill me.)

**BTW:  **I am looking for a few muses, so if you are willing to be one, let me know.


	3. Above the Couds

Only six reviews, I'm a little disappointed, because I really want to know what you guys think, So R&R, please! Thanks for responding:  Ishandahalf, The Rogue Witch, Lyranfan, Loup Garou42, Rouge 151, and tohruhonda1—let me know if you guys like where this is going.

***Disclaimer—I own nothing of the X-Men. Even Marvel owns my pen name. Thank you, and enjoy your trip.***

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ABOVE THE CLOUDS

_~Scott could you come down to the Blackbird, please?~_

_~Is it Alex? Did they find him, Professor?~_

_~Yes Scott. We've found where he is now located. He managed a call in a few minutes ago. We are preparing to leave to pick him up. Rogue, if you could suit up as well, you will be joining us.~_

_~Five minutes, Professor.~_

The Blackbird flew stealthily over the mountains, in a high enough fly space that it went unnoticed by the radars that most commercial, or even military planes were equipped with. They had been in the air for barely an hour, yet they were now crossing the Rocky Mountains, at a speed of almost twice a normal jet. Rogue was still lost in thoughts when the Professor motioned for her to accompany him towards the back chamber of the Blackbird.

"Yah needed something, Professor?"

"Yes Rogue. I have been meaning to speak with you about the events that occurred last week." He paused. "With Apocalypse"

At the mention of the mutant's name, Rogue stiffened. "What about him?"

Xavier paused. "Logan mentioned to me that he thought Apocalypse may have…touched you. Touched your skin.[1] He thought he saw just the slightest brush of his finger on your arm, but even with Logan's advanced healing powers, the head injuries he sustained could have impaired his judgment."

"The injuries he sustained on behalf of Mystique." Rogue added quietly.

"On behalf of Apocalypse" Xavier corrected. "Your mother was as much a pawn in his game as Ororo or I were, Rogue. She didn't know what she was doing, she was under his control."

Rogue looked up. "But she wasn't when she let Mastermind brain wash me. She wasn't when she used me to absorb all mah friends. She wasn't when she led me to the Himalayas and had me unlock that monstah! And she's not. Mah. Mother!"

The Professor looked towards Rogue with compassion. "It's hard, I know it is, Rogue. But one of these days it'll be…calm."

"But for how long?" Rogue asked, her voice thicker than usual. "From where Ahm from, ya learn quickly that the calm is only temporary. Then the storms will rage again. The Hurricane's eye just gives yah false hopes."

Xavier thought on this. "Just give it time, Rogue. But ultimately, for it to be better, you have to want it to be." He paused, then quoted: "Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good." [2] "But Rogue, I have to know? Did Apocalypse touch you?"

Rogue looked away. "No," she lied, then paused. "Professor?"

"Yes, Rogue?" 

"Hope is the denial of reality."[3]

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****Ok you guys, this was short and sweet, but I should have another chapter uploaded very soon, now with 500% more Jamie hilarity…I'll give you guys a hint—he's in tights! (Come on, I have to have some funny parts, Jamie in tights, John with pink socks, Bobby trying to go after his newest love interest, and John serenading one of our X-girls. Plus, there will eventually be a little Romy, so please, no flaming!) R&R guys, come on, you know you wanna!

** Footnotes:**

[1] This is a part of Ascension II that I slightly modified—it takes place when Rogue is shutting down Apocalypse and he reaches out and grabs her arm—through her shirt in the cartoon. But in my version, it's just the most minute of brushes against her skin—and nothing happens. The first sign of Rogue gaining control over her powers.

[2] Vaclav Havel

[3] Margaret Weis, _Dragons of Winter Night_


	4. Introductions

***Disclaimer—I own nothing that belongs to Marvel (isn't that a tad redundant?)  I also own nothing of Mel Brooks—although I would be willing to accept a share if he were to offer…

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Introductions 

Nita audibly gasped as the elevator doors opened, revealing to here the opulence of her new home.  "This is where you guys live?" she whispered to Rogue as she took in the plush carpeting, the statues lining the walls, set apart by tapestry's and paintings.

"Yep.  Come on, the living room is this way."

After their arrival at the mansion, the Professor had tapped into everyone, asking for a meeting in the living room for briefing on their new students' situations, and introductions.

Rogue led Nita into the formal room, and paused in the doorway, surveying the chaos.  Kitty, Jubilee, Jean, and Rhane were sitting in a line on one of the couches, braiding each other's hair.  Gambit was annoying Wanda by calling her "Belle" and she, in turn, was throwing several Hex Bolts at him, hoping to hit in just the right spot and put an end to all his flirtations…at the other end of their couch, Pitor was sitting quietly, reading—well, Rogue couldn't quite tell what he was reading, the cover seemed to be in Russian.  Fred was sitting against the wall, finishing what seemed to be a large sandwich.  Sam, Lance, Pietro, and Kurt were all cross-legged in front of the TV playing Sonic (the only game Pietro said he could relate to).  Amara was iced into a corner; curtsey of Bobby, and Ray was blasting electricity at it in an attempt to melt it, trying to avoid Todd, who had somehow gotten his tongue stuck to the ice, and an amused Roberto was looking on.

"Can't you make it melt a little faster?"

"Sorry, this is going to take a while.  If you want it done faster, why not light up and melt it yourself?"

"You have to be out of your mind!  That's just what he wants!"

John looked up from the couch he and Bobby were seated on.  "Oooh, will you show me the pretty fire, Shelia?"

"GO TO HELL YOU AUSSIE MANIAC!"  Amara looked around, and then turned on her sweetest voice.  "Roberto?  Can you please help me out of here."  Roberto paused and looked back towards John.  "Nope, no sun out.  And even if it was sunny, no, not with him around."

John shrugged and continued his "conversation" with Bobby:

John shook his head, "This never would have happened if your father was alive."

Bobby paled, "He's dead?"

"Yes"

"And my mother?"

"She died of pneumonia while you were away."

"My three brothers?"

"Died of the plague."

"My dog Pogo?"

"Ran over by a carriage"

"My goldfish, Goldie?"

"Eaten by the cat."

"My Cat?"

"Choked on the goldfish.  Oh, it's good to be home, ain't it, Master Robin?""

Rogue rolled her eyes at the conversation, but paused when she saw the look of confusion on Nita's face.  "Relax.  It's from a movie."  She strolled into the room, "Ah swear, Bobby, next time Ah hear one single thing from Mel Brooks, Ahm gonna drain you before you can move an inch."  John just started laughing manically, and was shot a dirty look by the Rogue.  "You too, fire boy."

"Name's Pyro, love.  Hey, who's the new Shelia you brought home?"

Rogue turned and looked at Nita still standing in the doorway, observing the room.

"New recruit, come on Nita, Ah think there's room over there." She led Nita through the crowded room just as Alex and Scott appeared in the doorway.

Scott surveyed the damage.  "Home, Sweet Home."  He spotted Amara, and with one quick tap of his glasses, set her free.

"Thanks, Scott."

"Yeah, thanks Scott, for ruining our fun," Bobby added under his breath.

John watched Alex walk over to Amara and helped her climb over the little of the ice wall that was left, and immediately start flirting with her, touching her hair, and what not.  He hoped off the couch and made his way over to the couple.  "Hiya, Mate, the name's John.  And you will be?"

"Alex Summers."

John draped his arm around Amara.  "I see you've met my Shelia here."

Amara angrily pushed his arm away.  "For the last time, I'm not your Shelia, you damn Commoner!"

"Amara, watch the language," Ororo scolded from the doorway as she, Logan, Hank and the Professor joined the room.

"Sorry," she whispered, and then ran to sit with the majority of the girls on the sofa.

"Anyways, pleased to meet ya," John addressed Alex, grabbing a hold of his hand to shake it.  It became completely obvious what John's intentions were, doing the all to manly occurrence of squeezing one's hand as hard as you could in a macho form of a pissing contest.  Unfortunately for John, he was unaware of Alex's powers, and it didn't take too long for Alex to become annoyed, and fire up his hand, until it became a little to hot for even John.  Finally, John let go, and headed back to his seat beside Bobby, his new partner in crime, the two having bonded over the aforementioned choice of movies, and their love of playing pranks on the other students.

Logan ambled over to the middle of the room, yanking the TV cords out of the wall (a lesson quickly learned from trying to pry the boys away from the television).  After the shouts of protest from the four on the floor, all eyes turned towards the Professor.

"I would like everyone to welcome Namorita Prentiss.  She and Alex will be staying with us for a while, after an unfortunate incident in Hawaii.  I trust everyone here will make her feel at home.  Maybe we should start the introductions.  Student's please introduce yourselves, and warn Nita about your powers.  Jean, we will begin with you, seeing as how Nita will be rooming with you."

"I'm Jean Grey.  I'm 18, and I am telepathic and telekinetic."

Slowly the introductions progressed around the room, (with 20-something students to be introduced, it can take quite a while.)  Finally, the introductions were finished, and the Professor spoke up.  "We are missing someone.  Where's Jamie?"

Right on cue, 15 Jamies ran into the room, soliciting giggles from the majority of the room.  They were dressed in his Halloween costume—a pair of green tights, a brown belted tunic, and a pointy felt hat with a feather on top.

"And now, for the entertainment portion of tonight's show!" Bobby yelled out, as the Jamies fell into a straight line and began their song---

_"We're men, we're men in tights./We roam around the forest looking for fights./We're men, we're men in tights./We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!/We may look like sissies, but watch what you say or else we'll put out your lights!/We're men, we're men in tights, Always on guard defending the people's rights."_

In between the verses, the Jamies broke out into a can-can, following the directions provided to them from Bobby's DVD.

We're men, MANLY men, we're men in tights.  YIKES!/We roam around the forest looking for fights./We're men, we're men in tights./We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!/We may look like pansies, but don't get us wrong or else we'll put out your lights!/ We're men, we're men in tights—TIGHT—tights,/Always on guard defending the people's rights./When you're in a fix, just call for the men in tights!

Rogue snorted along with the rest of the room, at Jamie's "performance" then remembered her earlier "promise" to Bobby.  "Drake" she growled, "your dead!"  She launched off the couch as Bobby jumped the back of his and into the hallway of the mansion at full speed, and the majority of the students (including the 15 Jamies) ran out behind them to either watch the action, or join in the fun of torturing one another.  Professor Xavier let out a sigh as he heard what was more than likely one of his prized statues break, and looked over at a shell-shocked Nita.  "Jamie's power is to create duplicates of himself" he informed the poor girl, who's brain waves had told him that she was in shock at the idea of someone having 15 children at once.  He cringed as he heard yet another crash from somewhere behind him.  "Welcome home, my dear."

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Responses to Reviews:

**Lladyred01**—Here is a link to Dragons of Winter Night at Amazon:    I really had no clue myself, it was just something I found on a quote website, that I thought fit Rogue's personality.  As an added bonus, I watched the original X-Men movie last night, and heard Xavier mention that he would always have hope, which I thought was an awesome coincidence.

**Moonlight Pheonix3**—Thanks for the compliment on the title, but I can't take credit for that either.  It is a line in a Shakespearean play, Hamlet, I think.  I guess I should maybe add that to my disclaimer as well, LOL.  Anyways, we were going to use it as our graduation's theme a few years back, but there were too many kids who didn't understand what it meant.  In simple terms, and I think I will incorporate an explanation of the title in a future chapter, The Past is just the prologue of the story, explaining how we got where we did, and became who we are, the real story is what follows, the choices we make, and the people we become.

**Jacob**—you must be one of the firsts on this site, to luck out with that name.  Thanks on the characterization compliment.  If you think I'm doing a good job, you have to read "From the Shadows" by Black Queen, and Seven Sunningdale's "Giddy" and "Love of My Life"—they have some of the best stories I have ever read.

**Lyranfan**—well, no more Jean with her own room—I'm thinking of moving her and Scott to the teacher's level instead of the dormitories, because the boys' side is getting a little crowded with 15 guys—but I'll provide a tour of the mansion in the next chapter, and let you guys see how I envision it—and why the girls still share rooms even though there should be plenty of space.

**Ishalfandhalf**—LOL!  Quick like a bunny on crack.  I may have to steal that at some point.

**Everyone else**—thanks for the reviews, I appreciate it.

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Coming Soon:  John's serenede, and Bobby's big date gets crashed by two other students.


	5. The Unavoidable Kiss

***DISCLAIMER—I own nothing of Marvel's.  Please don't sue me, because I'm broke as it is***

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A KISS IS JUST A KISS

A very wet Rogue stormed into the mansion, with most of the new recruits scattering out of her way.  She angrily headed up the stairs, shooting poisonous glares towards anyone who dared look at her.  She finally reached her room, slammed the door as loud as she could, then, collapsed on the floor in a fit of laughter as she remembered the look on Bobby's face when he thought she was finally going to touch him…he almost wet his pants.  "If it wasn't for whoever that was that pushed meh into tha pool, he probably would have," She giggled.

"Who probably would have what?" a voice inquired.

Rogue immediately quieted—giggling was not something she was willing to be caught doing.  "Who's here?" She demanded, as she reached for the light switch. 

"Relax _mon_ amour_, Remy just wanted to welcome you home."  A flood of light filled the room, and Remy winced, squeezing his eyes shut.  "Now _petite_, why you wanna go an' do that?  Don't ya know that the dark is more romantic?"_

"What makes ya' think I wanna get romantic with ya, Swamp Rat?"

"Now _Chere_, who else but Remy would you wanna be getting romantic with?"

"Anyone.  Now, why don't ya get the Hell off mah bed, and outta my room?"

Remy pouted.  "_L'Escroc beuatiful_ [1], why ya wanna be hurtin' Remy with ya harsh language?"

Rogue placed her hands on the bed beside Remy, and leaned over him, a new plan forming.  "Trust me, Remy, hurting ya with mah language is the last thing Ah wanna do right now."

Remy leaned back into the bed.  "Remy thinks he be likin the way this is sounden'."  Over powered by the blood rush suddenly away from his brain, Remy forgot exactly what Rogue's powers entailed as she set on the bed beside him, and leaned slowly towards him, the top of her body resting slightly against him and giving him a view straight down the top of her uniform.  "Yeah, Remy be likin this very well."

"How about this," Rogue whispered as she let her lips lightly touch Remy's, concentrating on not absorbing him, just to see what would happen.  Nothing did.  Well other than the fact that Remy's arms were very quickly wrapping around her, drawing her down farther on top of him as they kissed, more and more deeply.  Rogue lost herself in the kiss, and felt Remy suddenly stiffen underneath her [2] and the kissing abrubtly stopped.  Rogue looked around the room, then walked over to the trash can and picked up a piece of paper.  It glowed red and she quickly flung it out the window before it exploded.  She turned around and looked at the unconscious Remy lying on her bed.  "Great," she muttered, "now what am Ah gonna do?"  She smiled slightly.  "Ah kissed him.  Ah kissed him and he didn't go out right away.  Ah controlled it.  Well Ah did until…" she trailed off realizing suddenly that she had just had her first REAL kiss. "And if he tells anyone, he's a dead man."

Rogue jumped slightly as she heard the door opening behind her.  Wanda walked in, and as she surveyed the scene, her eyes went wide.  "What happened here?  Did he hurt you?"

"No, no, Ahm ok." She smirked.  "Remy decided he wanted a little kiss, and wouldn't take no for an answer, so Ah gave him one he'd never forget."  She paused, deciding to omit certain parts of the story.  

Wanda smiled.  "I wonder how many times he's gonna fall for that."

Rogue laughed.  "Well, at least twice, now.  The only problem is how're we gonna get him out."

Wanda turned pink.  "I passed Pitor on the steps, and uh, well, he's still in the hall.  We were going to go for a walk.  You know, to get to know each other better.  As friends.  That's all."

"Yah know ya don't have to keep explaining it."

"I'm just saying he could probably help us."

"Bring him in."

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**Footnotes:**

[1] _My Beautiful Rogue_

[2] Get your mind out of the Gutter!!

Ok, I hope everyone enjoyed the Jamie: In Tights scene.  I had a group of friends in high school that were obsessed with Monty Pyton, and would spout it out at any chance they could.  I have a feeling most of the teenage guys in the mansion would do the same—I just substituted Mel Brooks in this case.  As for Jamie, I can just see him going a little too far with the idea, and actually acting out the song with his multiples, in an effort to impress the older boys.

As for the John/Bobby friendship, you have the prankster of the New Recruits paired with the Insane member of the Acolytes…how could that possibly go wrong?


	6. Night Falls

Still working on the dreams chapter…please continue to send in your ideas.

***Disclaimer—blah blah blah, fishcakes…if you think I own these characters, I want some of what you're smoking.***

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NIGHT FALLS

Rogue stood on the balcony of her room as Piotr lifted an unconscious Remy into his arms.  As he carried the boy out of the room, Rogue slid down the wall, her eyes unfocused.  Wanda rushed to her side, concerned.  "Are you all right?"  No response.  "Rogue?  Are you ok?  Rogue?  Rogue?" she asked, panicky.  

Rogue finally turned her head and looked at her roommate.  "Ahm fine," she replied shaken.  "Ahm fine.  Did Piotr take Remy back to his room?"

"Yes."

"Good.  Ah, ah gotta go."

Rogue ran out of the room and down the hall to the boy's wing.  She stayed around the corner until she spotted Piotr leaving Remy and Kurt's room, and then silently snuck in and observed the prone figure on the bed.  She walked cautiously over and set down beside Remy's figure.  "Why didncha tell anyone?" she whispered quietly.  "Yah know we coulda helped yah."  Rogue paused then lay down beside Remy, crossing her fingers that no one would come in while she displayed a show of good will—it just wasn't something she wanted them to know about.  But it was two hard to ignore the screams resounding in Remy's memories.

Piotr and Wanda walked slowly around the Xavier property.  "Do you like it here?" she suddenly asked.  Piotr looked at her questioningly.  "Here as in the Institute?  As in New York?  America?"

Wanda blushed.  "I just meant…here, I guess."

Piotr looked around the gardens.  "America is not how I always pictured it to be.  America was supposed to be the land of tolerance.  The land of freedom, where you are not persecuted for your differences.  They call it a melting pot.  But here, people are just as prejudice as in Siberia.  If you are different, you are not welcome.  Look at this 'Mutant Registration Act' they want to pass.  It is just another way to learn who to discriminate against." He paused and looked at his companion.  "I am sorry; I didn't mean to be so rude."

"It's ok.  I guess you miss your home."

"I do.  I miss my family.  But I cannot protect them anymore.  I do more harm when I'm around then good.  So I must stay away."

She attempted to reach out to him:  "That must be so hard for you.  If I was separated from my family, I think I would go crazy."  

Piotr abruptly turned away from her.  

Wanda paused, realizing her error.  "I'm sorry Piotr.  I didn't mean to make you upset.  I know you miss your family.  I'm sorry."

He forced a smile towards her.  "It is okay, Wanda.  I just believe that it is time for me to retire for the night."  He reached for her hand and drew it slowly towards his lips.  "Please sleep well."

Wanda stood her ground, watching the tall boy walk away.  She had screwed up by making that comment about going crazy, she knew she had.  He had just confessed how much he missed his family, and that was her condolence?  _God, I am such an idiot.****_

Piotr walked the path slowly, praying Wanda would never learn his part in the erasing of her memories.

Rogue was half asleep when she felt Remy stir next to her.  She quickly pulled herself up and away from him.  Unfortunately for her, Remy noticed the sudden withdraw of warmth and found himself wide-awake immediately.  "_Chere?"_

"Don't get any ideas, Swamp Rat."

Remy smiled.  "Remy has plenty ideas, and Remy tinks you share dem."  He glanced around the darkened room, and confusion lit his face.  "Wait a minute.  How did Remy and his _chere arrive in Remy's room?"_

Rogue looked away.  "Ah absorbed you.  Piotr carried you here."  

Remy leaned in.  "Ya kissed me.  Remy remember.  And it took a while.  Remy see's his _fille_ has gained control.  Remy be very happy about that."

Rogue looked over towards him.  "Remy don't know what he be talkin' about."

Remy pouted.  "Why _chere_ be mockin' Remy.  Remy just wanna help _chere learn about new…experiences."_

"Yeah, Ahm sure you do, Swamp Rat.  But that ain't gonna happen, so put the idea outta ya head, or All drive it out" she raised her hand threateningly.

Remy just smirked.  

Rogue walked across the room, and looked out the window.  Remy followed her and drew back the curtains with one hand, the other he draped around Rogue's waist.  Almost unconsciously, Rogue allowed herself to lean back against Remy, her mind turning.

"So what is it Rogue is thinking so hard about?"  Remy whispered in a husky voice, dangerously close to Rogue's ear.

"About Henri.  And Genevieve."  She felt no change in Remy's stance, but noticed the deep breath that was exhaled behind her.  And for once, Remy was quiet.

"Yah memories are so loud." She whispered. 

Remy let go of her and moved back towards his bed.  He sat down and looked at her.  "How much do ya know?"

"Just the end.  What happened Remy?"

He just looked away.  

"Yah can tell me.  Ah won't tell anyone else, Ah promise.  Just let me help."

"Remy stayed in Nawlings after _Chere_ went home.  Jean-Luc  actin' like a father, for once, so Remy thought.  Turns out he needed Remy for a special job.  _L'Etoile.  Prettiest you ever seen.  Emerald, green like __chere's eyes.  Gen, she had 'acquired' the jewel, but Jean-Luc wanted it for himself.  So Remy an' Henri went to get it.  We played nice to Gen for a while, flirtin', what-not.  So one night, Henri takes Gen out, and Remy takes the star.  But when Remy get to where he an' Henri supposed to be meeting, Henri not there.  'Den Remy hear Gen scream on top o' the building.  Naturally, Remy goes up, and there is Remy's old teammate, Sabertooth.  He got Henri and Gen.  Both be hanging over the roof of the building.  He says give him the jewel, or both die.  Remy does the only thing he can.  He gives it up.  Sabertooth, he lets go of both ropes, and de both fall."_

"So that's why you couldn't help with Apocalypse."

"Remy had other tings on his mind.  Remy had to find Sabertooth."

"But you didn't."

Remy shook his head, "No.  And I can't by myself.  "

"So that's why you're here," she whispered.

He brushed a piece of hair off her face.  "One of dem."  He began to lean in towards Rogue, then pulled back a little.  "If Remy give Rogue another kiss, how long until he wakes up?"

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**Responses to Reviews**

**LladyRed**—defiantly agree with the Piotr/Wanda combo.  He is the perfect foil to her character.  The problem now is dealing with Wanda's loss of memories, and as an Acolyte, Piotr's role in that.  Of course in the episode where she is brainwashed, Piotr is shown doing nothing but moving boxes (seriously, is that all Magneto had him for—to move boxes?  Isn't he shown doing that in another episode?), but he was still present at the time.  As for Bobby and Pyro, everytime I think of them together, I'm reminded of Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice":  "Some say the world will end in fire/Some say in ice/From what I've tasted of desire/I hold with those who favor fire/But if I had to perish twice/I think I know enough of hate/To say that for destruction, Ice/Is also great/And would suffice."

**Moonlight Pheneonix3**—thanks for the suggestion, I like the idea!

**Ishalfandhalf**­—I'm defiantly including that quote in the dream chapter, but I think I saw it in another story today, with a note to you!  Ha, we Evo writers are just relishing that quote, I guess.  LOL.

Just want to say thanks to everyone who liked the Jamie:  In Tights scene.  

R&R guys, plus I still need more dream ideas!

**By the way, please do not flame me for adjusting Remy's history to fit my own needs.  I did not read the comic books, and only learned about the Henri/Gen storyline via the internet.  I couldn't see how Remy could work on a team with Sabertooth if this had already occurred, and I needed a reason for him to join the X-Men, and to explain why he missed the big battle—his brother had died and he was looking for the killer.**


	7. The Ties That Bind

***DISCLAIMER—I own nothing.  I was such a fool in the seventies to sell all of my stock in the X-Men to Stan Lee.  "Damn Stan Lee!  Damn Stan Lee to Hell!  Damn anyone who doesn't damn Stan Lee to Hell!"  Oh, wait a minute.  I wasn't born until 1981.  Hmmm, ok, so forget the last part, and remember the first—I own nothing.  [Bonus shout-out to anyone who recognizes the quote]***

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THE TIES THAT BIND

Soon the summer days lulled into a sleepy autumn.  The leaves that had been reborn from the barren arms of winter had blossomed into the fullness of summer and were now abating in a harmony of reds and gold.

With these changes in the weather, the younger students, although feeling a temporary relief at the cessation of boredom that often plagues the young during the last few weeks of summer vacation, turned their thoughts to a new and looming fear:  school.

Kurt, Kitty, Pietro, Fred, and Lance all decided after much deliberation to finish out their senior years at Bayville High in an effort to prove that they deserved to be there as much as Duncan's cronies—although their numbers were quite less after the attack on Evan where several of them had been arrested—not for the attempted homicide of a mutant, but on charges of possession of alcohol by minors, and the "reckless endangerment" of several civilians on the site.

The youngest students:  Bobby, Jubilee, John, Alex, Ray, Roberto, Rhane, Todd (who had elected not to return to Bayville High—understandable after the amount of emotional  pain he had incurred in his years there), Sam, Amara, Wanda (who, for reasons she couldn't quite understand, could not remember ever attending school) and Jamie were spared the terror of a new year in public schools by the certification of Ororo as a licensed teacher in New York State, boosting the Institute to a total of three teachers, and accrediting it as a certified Private School according to the State of New York Educational Bylaws. 

Jean, Scott, Nita, and Piotr had decided to continue their education as commuters to the Manhattan campus of the University of New York.  The four of them left first thing every morning to attend their classes.  Jean, of course, was studying Pre-Med courses, Piotr: Art, and Nita and Scott had both elected business as the course they wanted to follow.

This left only two students at the institute that were not attending any form of school—Rogue (who had completed her GED during Summer Classes) and Remy (who had no intent on resuming any type of formal education). The pair managed to keep their budding relationship a secret from the others at the institute—a difficult thing to do when living in such close quarters as 21 other nosy teenagers, and with chaperones such as Logan who noted Rogues scent on Remy a little too much for him to be comfortable with.  However, Rogue and Remy had devised a plan to explain the questions everyone would have with them spending too much time together—every day, while the others concentrated on their schoolwork, the pair made use of one of the mansions many sparring rooms to hone their abilities.

_It was dark by the time that Wanda awoke.  She silently slipped out of her bed and into the hallway.  She had only taken a few steps when a sudden chill ran up her spine.  She slowly turned around and took note of the cold, institutional passageway where the warm halls of the mansion had once been.  Cautiously, she took a few steps back towards where her room was supposed to be, when a pair of rough hands grabbed her from behind.  Struggling, she cried out for help, but was half drug, half carried into a cold, cold room.  She was forced onto a gurney and strapped down…a  piece of leather forced between her teeth and two metal probes held her head steady.  She screamed in horror as the first bolt of electricity shot through her body, rendering her speechless, only the smallest of guttural cries escaped her mouth as the horror of her "treatments" began.  In the brightest bolt of lightening she had ever seen, she was able to make out the face of the doctor who had ordered the treatments—her father--_

Rogue was awake before her eyes ever opened.  Her room had taken a sudden electrical charge, and she could feel the change against her skin.  She forced herself out of bed, and looked in shock at the state of her room…light bulbs were exploding, a chair suddenly broke into half, and Wanda's bed was levitating off the ground, and the girl upon it gasped and cried out in terror.  Rogue telepathically screamed for the Professor as she cautiously made her way towards her roommate's bed.  Very carefully, Rogue jumped onto the tilting bed, and climbed to lie beside Wanda, her attempts to wake the dreaming girl in vain.  Taking a deep breath, Rogue did the only thing she could:  she carefully placed both hands on either side of Wanda's head…

_The coldness of the room immediately sucked Rogue in.  The pain of the electrical bolts seemed to tear her apart, and in the background, she could hear the laughter of those watching her.  A brief reprise in the treatment had her gasping for breath as she felt the tears streaming down her cheeks, then, just as suddenly the treatment resumed.  After several agonizing moments—minutes?—hours?—of the treatment, she was yanked from the table, arms bound around herself in the straight jacked and forced to walk—though her muscles were tired, and her legs threatened to buckle—back to her room—no, her cell.  There she was thrown into the darkness and all she could do was look up, and wait for the light—_

Rogue slowly pried open her eyes, then just as quickly squeezed them closed to block out the intrusive light.  Taking a deep breath, she turned her head and slowly tried to open them again.  A chill ran through her body as she noticed the medical equipment beside the bed and as she struggled to sit up, she began to panic as she realized she was strapped down.  Struggling against the straps quickly proved to be useless, and seemed to cinch the binds tighter.

~_Rogue, please calm down~_

_~Professor?  What's happening?  Why am Ah strapped down?  Please, Professor, don't let them get to me~_

_~Rogue, It's ok.  No one will hurt you here~_

The Professor wheeled his chair into the room.  "Rogue, please relax.  Dr. McCoy is on his way to remove the binds.  Take a deep breath, everything is ok now."

"Why am Ah here?  What's going on?"

Xavier frowned as he surveyed Rogue.  "You don't remember?"

Rogue paused as she turned her thoughts onto the night before.  "Wanda.  She, she had a nightmare, Ah think.  She wouldn't wake up, so ah tried to get rid of some of the thoughts in her mind, purge them out, just enough to wake her up." She paused.  "She is ok, isn't she?"

Xavier gave a tight smile.  "She's fine.  We have her in the other room." He took a deep breath and looked towards Rogue.  "What you did tonight was very dangerous, Rogue.  I know you only had the best intentions in mind, but your actions could have harmed more than just Wanda.  By the time we arrived at your room, we had two girls at full hex power—it took a great deal of might from both Jean and I to finally calm the two of you down.  By that time both of you were unresponsive.  As we attempted to remove you from your room down to the medical bay, your hands would suddenly fly out and throw hex bolts at whoever was near you—Bobby is still defrosting down in the Sauna and Rhane is stuck in half wolf form.  We had to bind you down for the safety of everyone around."

At that cue, Dr. McCoy bustled into the room.  "Ah, I see you're awake.  Good."  He hurried to the side of the bed and undid each binding  "Does it hurt anywhere?  Any pain in your head?  Arms?  Legs?"

"No," Rogue whispered.  "Ahm fine."

"Glad to hear it, Stripes" Logan replied from the doorway.  "Charles, I hate to cut this meeting short, but we got company coming.  It's Magneto.  And he ain't alone."

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OK, so end another chapter.  Sorry it was so late getting it up, but I hit a major case of brain freeze (or writer's block as some of you fancy-pantsies call it)  Anyways, I took the time to outline some of the major storylines I want to start up.  

**Replies to Reviews:**

**Eternity's Voice**—thank you so much for all the incredible ideas.  I love your story, it's always great to find a story which has such deep characterizations, and I am so honored that you like my story.  I am currently looking for a muse, and I would love it if I could run some story ideas by you sometime…if you wouldn't mind, just email me and let me know.

**Nie**** Starwhistler, Llady Red—thanks for not flaming about the tweaking of Remy's past.  LOL, its so hard to try to incorporate the 30 years of Marvel history into a story—but I try to research any characters I want to add so I can hopefully strike upon something true to the character—unlike some stories I read where the characters do not even resemble who they are supposed to be.**


	8. Revelations

DISCLAIMER—X-Men? No X-Men here. Why do you ask? Oh, you want to know if I own the X-Men. Nope, sorry, you must have come to the wrong house. But please, do have a nice day.

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REVELATIONS

The night air had taken an unexpected chill as the older students waited on the front lawn of the mansion. Logan had rightfully detected Magneto's scent in the air, along with an unfamiliar one, as evident by the two metal spheres drifting from out of the peaceful night sky.

Xavier couldn't help but notice the tension in the air surrounding him. His students minds were fresh with worries about Rogue and Wanda, and Magneto's sudden arrival did nothing to calm them. Although the students knew that Magneto did not willingly attack them in Mexico, it wasn't easy for them to forget the times he _had_ willingly attacked.

The first sphere finally touched down, and with a quiet _woosh_ opened, and Eric Lehnsherr stepped out, surveying the crowd. With a voice oozing charm (as Magneto was perfectly capable of doing when it suited him) he greeted his old friend. 

"Charles, I see you have brought out the welcoming committee. How…kind of you." _Shnick_. Magneto turned to observe Wolverine slowly making his way towards the second sphere, posed and ready for whatever attack may come from the unfamiliar scent lingering around the metal contraption, which was now hovering a few inches above the ground.

Xavier furrowed his brow in concentration towards the new arrival, then, a small smile came to his face as the realization hit him.

"You see I mean no harm, Charles. Please ask your guard dog to step down. I'm afraid his very presence will frighten the poor child…she has been through too much already."

"Indeed," Xavier agreed. "Logan, our guest will do no harm." He began to wheel his way towards the second sphere. As he passed the rigid figure of Piotr, he placed a hand on the boys arm. Piotr turned to meet his eyes, and as comprehension hit him, he headed towards the second sphere. Again, the almost silent _woosh_ penetrated the air, and a small blonde head timidly peeked from around the corner of the sphere.

_"Illyana!"_

Rogue lay quietly on the bed in the hospital bay of the Institute, thinking back on the dreams she had witnessed. _Dreams?_ She wondered. _Or memories?_ _Memories? Or dreams?_ Her head was swimming from the concept put before her. She concentrated on thinking back to the time when she had first absorbed Wanda—while under Mesmero's command. The memories she had taken that day where a muddled mess in her head, where one person's would slowly blend into another and she had no control over whose childhood may come to her in the dark of night. She pressed herself into trying to untangle the web of thoughts that only her meditations had managed to push into the recesses of her mind. Memories of birthdays and Christmases, of baptisms and hunting trips, of screams, of cries, of friends abandoning you, of parents disowning you, of being sent away to live with strangers all flooded her mind at once, and she carefully tried to pick up upon the faces and voices that would haunt Wanda.

Her mind finally grasped a memory—one of the few peaceful ones that came to her. 

_A carousel. A laughing Pietro, and a smiling Magneto. The world surrounding her danced before her eyes as it spun around and around, up and down as she laughed and laughed. She had dared Pietro to run as fast as he could around the carousel, in the opposite direction as it was spinning, and he had until he collapsed upon the floor, holding a hand over his mouth and looking green. Her father stood at the edge of the spinning metal and simply observed the game._

Suddenly his face grew cold. Strong hands pulled on her, forcing her away, carrying her up steps as she cried for help. And there her father stood. Watching them take her away.

"Please shut the door behind you, Magnus" Xavier requested as he wheeled his chair into his private study. With a flick of Magneto's wrist, the door silently closed. Xavier positioned himself behind his desk and turned to look at his visitor.

"Will you be staying with us, Magnus?"

His visitor sat down in a chair opposite the desk, and slowly levitated a small metal paperweight. After a moments of consideration, a reply was finally spoken. "I don't think that would be wise, Charles. With you being the exception, I do not believe that I would be welcome here."

A moment of silence held in the office. "I don't necessarily agree with that. I have a feeling that Piotr and Illyana would be more that hospitable to you."

"Ah, yes. The Rasputins. A very interesting family. You do know of their great grandfather, I am sure."

A single eyebrow rose. "Grigory Rasputin? How interesting. I never thought to make the connection. Of course."

The paperweight began to dance across the room, swaying back and forth. "He was one of the most famed healers of his time. It was most certainly his actions that saved the young Tsarevitch Alexis' life. He was precognitive, clairvoyant. His eyes were rumored to change color. Then, of course, there is the event of his death. He was poisoned with cyanide—it had no effect. The he was shot in the head. When his attacker checked to see if he was dead, he began to throttle the young Duke, and then fled. He was caught, shot again, and then bludgeoned. Yet he lived. He was bound and thrown into a frozen river, and finally died. By the time his body was found, it was revealed that he had removed the binds. It makes you wonder, doesn't it Charles?"

"You are proposing that Rasputin was a mutant? I myself have often wondered that?"

"How crass, Charles. I must admit that I have never enjoyed the term 'mutant.' I much prefer _Homo Superiors_. For that is what we are, Charles. We are human, just a superior breed. It is too bad that the _Sapiens_ refuse to acknowledge the fact. But yes, I do believe he was. And, unfortunately for his family, so did the commands of the Russian government. Maybe they did not understand he was _Superior_, but they knew he was special. So unknownst to his family, they have been watched for many, many years. The gene causing the "mutation," as the humans acknowledge it, lay recessive for 3 generations. Piotr was the first it was found in. He left his home in Siberia, unsure of what to make with his new powers."

"And then you found him."

"I _saved_ him, Charles. He was in need of a Savior. I made him a deal—a year of work under my command, and his sister would be brought to him."

"So now you bring Illyana here?"

"A deal is a deal, Charles. Besides, what is a man who refuses to adhere to his promises?"

Charles lay deep in thought. "And of the thoughts, I picked up from her?"

"Yes." The paperweight suddenly dipped down through the air at a quickening speed, then just before it hit the ground, swooped up to the other side. "I have mentioned that the Rasputin's have been observed through many generations. When Piotr was recognized on the television from the battle with the sentinels, and "mutants," as you so _eloquently_ coin our kind, were discovered, a force was sent to Siberia to capture the family."

"Their parents?" 

His face darkened. "Perished in the "camp" that the Russians kept them in. By the time I was able to locate Illyana, she was weakened."

"And is she…?"

"She is one of us, Charles. I did not think she would be, otherwise I would have enlisted your help in locating her. As it were, I came across her in Novorossiysk. I had learned that they had obtained a young female and were presently experimenting on her. Naturally, I could not allow this to continue. So I decided to save the child."

Xavier took a deep breath. "At the cost of several human lives, I presume."

"I will never understand why you choose to weep at the idea of human death, Charles. It is understandable that they would do the same to us, if it were possible. A new age of holocaust would be upon us, and I, Charles, will never allow that to happen again. Besides, 'Death is the only inescapable, unavoidable, sure thing. We are sentenced to die the day we're born.'[1]"

Charles pondered. "Cary?" he finally guessed.

Magneto smiled. "Gilmore."

Charles nodded. "And she was brought here?"

"I naturally have no use for a child that young, Charles. And I did promise her brother that I would rejoin them. And I know you too well, Charles, than to think that you may turn her away."

"Her powers?"

"Almost magical. She can manipulate objects, both organic and inorganic to comply to her will.[2]"

"Then it is similar to Wanda's."

The paperweight flew across the room and came to a halt just short of one of the glass windows. "Similar. But not the same. My daughter can manipulate objects to strike against those using them. Illyana's are stronger being she can force them to comply with her every wish. Of course, with her being as young as she is, she can only use them for a short amount of time before she tires. I knew you could teach her more control."

"Yes." A moment of silence echoed in the chamber.

"I must admit, Magnus, that I am amazed that you have yet to inquire of your children."

Rogue sat up straight in her bed, sweat pouring off her body. The images that had come to her were as real as any of her own memories.

"Everyt'ing al'right, Cherie?"

"Remy. How long 'ave ya been here?"

The disheveled Cajun sat up straighter in the chair that he had been half asleep in.

_"Une heure... peut-être deux"[_3] Remy stood up out of his chair and in one swift move sat on the side of Rogue's temporary bed, pulling her into his lap. _ "le ?It est dur pour se rappeler le moment où confronté à une telle beauté exquise ?"[_4] He slowly dipped his head to Rogues, and allowed his lips to gently caress hers. After only a moment, he again shifted his position, adjusting them till he lay prone on top of her, he concentrating on every move his lips and hands made, she concentrating on not killing him.

_„?Get Ihre schmutzigen Hände weg von meiner Schwester!?"_

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**Footnotes:**

[1] Rightfully acknowledged to Gary Mark Gilmore

[2] To be completely honest, I'm not terribly sure of what Illyana's _Magikal_ powers would be—I can't seem to find them anywhere on any character sites. I found all the stuff about time travels, I'm just not sure if that is something I can work in quite yet.

[3] "One hour…maybe two."

[4] "It is hard to remember time when faced with such exquisite beauty."

[5] "Get your filthy hands off my sister!"


	9. Attack

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, my computer got a virus, it deleted my modem connections, and I didn't have a windows CD to replace it.  I just now got a new compter (I figured mine had about had it anyways, it was time to update.  So here is the next chapter.  Hope you guys like it.

DISCLAIMER—I do not own any X-Men Characters, blah blah blah fishcakes.

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**Attack**

For Kurt Wagner, it had been a long night. It had started out well enough, with a game of Dodge-Muffin (a derivative of Dodge-ball, but instead of throwing a large, soft, rubbery ball at each other, the students made a concentrated effort to avoid being pinged by one of "Kitty's Splendiferous Muffins!!!") Dodge Muffin was one of Kurt's favorite games, providing off course that he was not the one who was beamed by one of the massive objects. But in this case, he was safe, seeing as how recently, the muffin seemed to be almost magnetically attracted to Ray, and it never failed to miss its target.

But then, he was forced to try to sleep in the room with the Cajun, his sworn enemy, the Lex Luther to his Clark Kent, the Green Goblin to his Spiderman, the Rottingham to his Robin, the Lance to his Scott--ok, maybe he was taking it a bit far, but certainly it wasn't shocking for Kurt to not want to share a room with the cretin who had abducted his sister? And on top of that, you try sleeping in a room that now reeked of the potent French cologne that Remy wouldn't lay off.

But he had finally managed to fall asleep, only to be awakened around 2:00 to the sounds of footsteps running down he hall and Logan barking orders. He had teleported into the hallway, poised for an attack and had almost been impaled by a falling chandelier. A quick *BAMP and he was standing in the middle of the chaos, lights exploding, paintings flying across the air and the most frightening aspect, a bed levitating several feet into the air.

Jean and the Professor both had hands against their heads, concentrating as hard as they could. Objects were flying at them from all directions, but bouncing off the force field that they had surrounded themselves with. Logan was battling a demonic coat rack, Scott was blasting holes in the walls and trying to force his eyes closed. What Kurt noticed next made his blood run cold.

On the bed were Wanda and Rogue, both thrashing in pain, their hands moving in unison, throwing hex bolts across the room. Then, suddenly , both girls fells till, the bed suddenly hurtling towards the floor, then just as quickly, stopping in mid air a mere two inches from the floor. The bubble surrounding Xavier and Jean popped, and Jean fell to her knees, gasping.

He was preparing to transport his sister to the Med Bay, but the Professor refused to allow him to help. At first, he was furious, his sister was hurt and he wasn't allowed to help? But then the Professor explained that it was for both Rogue and Kurt's own good--his sister was in a fragile state, and she could very well attack without meaning harm. Kurt was pondering this when Rogue's hands suddenly flew up, and a red stream hit an anxious Rhaine, who had been waiting in the hallway, awakened from bed by the screams of terror from her neighbors room. 

An unearthly howl was admitted from the Scottish girls throat as her body began the transformation from a wee lass to a canine, unfortunately for her, the hex succeeded in only transforming her half way, leaving the poor girl with a wolf's head and standing on two human legs.

After waiting in the infirmary's hallway for almost 2 hours, Kurt was asleep during Rogue's awakening, but upon awakening was unable to visit her due to the arrival of Magneto.

Kurt didn't trust the man. The simple fact that he went around wearing a helmet designed to prevent anyone from knowing his thoughts was a bit disconcerting. He understood that no one really liked to have their every thoughts possibly pondered over by some one else, but the sheer fact that old Buckethead was so insecure on the subject of his own thoughts left Kurt pondering what kind of evil, devious plan the man was going to attempt next.

It was as much of a surprise to Kurt as anyone else that the man came baring Piotr's little sister. Did this make him more of a trusting person, seeing as how he had completed a promise made to his acolyte that spanned the entire term of the tinman's tutorage with the headmaster of evil? Not in Kurt's opinion. As far as he was concerned, none of the Acolytes could possibly be trusted, after all, it didn't really matter what Magneto had on them to begin with, they still consorted to the association with that terrorist. And to be completely honest, Kurt wasn't fooled by Piotr's "strong, silent type" routine. Who knows what thoughts brew in the minds of those types of men. John was certifiably crazy. The few months he had been without the presence of his beloved lighters, the Australian teenager had became even more loopy…when he wasn't arranging some sort of elaborate prank on one of the other students, he was drawing pictures of his beloved flames. As for Remy…Kurt's fur bristled every time he thought of the Cajun. So what if all the girls thought he was soooo smooth…he was nothing but a gigolo to Kurt. And he didn't deserve to be under the same roof as his sister, a girl who Kurt was sure he could see past her stony exterior, and was certain there lay a sweet, unassuming girl underneath.

So now here he was, sitting vigil in his sister's hospital room, keeping his eyes on Mr. "I'm so Suave, all the ladies think I'm wonderful."  His stomach had been growling for hours, but he didn't think leaving Rogue alone with that maniac would be a good idea…but then again, maybe if he *BAMPed into the kitchen and back out, he could grab something and be back before anyone would notice.  He quickly made up his mind…it would only take a second, really.

*BAMP

Ok, into the fridge, avoid anything that might possibly look like Kitty or Jean's cooking, past the Ororo's health food, around Logan's beer (he knew better than to even touch that, the slightest brush of his fur would send Logan into a frenzy, wanting to know why he had dared to come into contact with the precious lagers).  Then Kurt found the jackpot—pizza.  Not just any pizza—anchovy, peppers, and onions.  His favorite.  A happy dance was promptly executed on the spot for the awesome discovery.  One quick over to the microwave, and the agonizing ticking of seconds until the pizza was once again bubbly.  Normally, he would put it in the oven to reheat it, the only way to truly eat left over pizza, but he was understandably in a hurry.  Finally the beep sounded, and with a quick grab, Kurt held his prize, and shoved the first bite into his mouth.

*BAMP

The pizza was quickly forgotten as Kurt ported into the med bay.  On his sister's bed was Remy.  On top of his sister.  His unconscious sister.  

_„?Get__ Ihre schmutzigen Hände weg von meiner Schwester!?"_[1]

It took less than one second for Kurt to launch himself on the offending Acolyte.  One quick wrench and Remy was off of the bed and both boys were rolling on the floor.  Yellow nails were scratching at Remy's face as Kurt aimed for the eyes of his sisters attacker.  In the background, Kurt could faintly hear Rogue screaming at him to stop, but that didn't phase him at all.  She obviously had no clue about the defilement that the Cajun had obviously been planning for who knows how long.

A strong pair of arms dislodged Kurt from Remy.  Mr. McCoy was dragging Kurt away rather effectively, while Scott had Remy by the arms pulling him into the hallway.  Remy wrenched himself out of Scott's grasp and turned back towards Rogue who had advanced to the doorway.  As he took his first step towards the girl, Kurt again saw red.

*BAMP

He landed on Remy's back, fingers lodged in the other boys hair, pulling as hard as he can.  Remy bent over suddenly, successfully flipping the younger boy off and as the other students filled the hallway the two teenagers faced off.

"Back off" Remy growled under his breath.

"Not a chance.  I saw what you were trying to do in there.  Do you think you're going to get away with it.?"

"You don't know what you saw.  Now back off, I don't want to hurt you."

_"Gehen Sie zur Hölle." _[2]

*BAMP

Kurt's tail was wrapped around Remy's neck and he was hanging down Remy's back.  Remy flailed his arms, trying to throw the boy off, but Kurt just squeezed his tail tighter and clamped his mouth down on the boys arm.

_"vous m'avez mordu, vous petit baiseur!"_ [3]

Remy slammed backwards towards the closest wall, knocking Kurt off, and once again the two boys circled each other.  By now a crowd of students had filled the hallway, but by now, everyone was basically watching the events unfold as the two boys sparred.  

Remy smiled.  He opened his hand to reveal a single card, then threw it as hard as he could towards Kurt.  

*BAMP

Kurt was behind Remy again, wrapping his tail around Remy's legs, pulling the boy off his feet.  Kurt had just launched himself on top of Remy as a forcible explosion rocked the room.  Remy's card had landed a little too close to some of Dr. McCoy's chemicals, and a small fire ignited. 

For the first time since the fight had began, all eyes were diverted from Remy and Kurt.  Indeed, even Remy and Kurt lost focus of each other for a few minutes as all eyes in the room slowly turned towards the fire, and then, by proxy, to John.

The boy stood there for a minute, stunned.

"Somebody put it out," Kitty screamed, as Bobby aimed his ice as fast as he could towards the flame.

"NOOOOOO!" John screamed, and like a Secret Service agent, took a dive in front of the offending watery substance to save his beloved.  As the ice hit John directly in the chest he reached his hand towards the beautiful waves or red, gold, yellow, blue, and his favorite…the hottest heat of the clear flame.  Then it was in his hands.  And giggling like a school girl John escaped from the room.  Well, not so much as escaped, but skipped through the path that had quickly opened up for him in the crowd.

This distraction was the only thing needed as Hank made one last grab for the brawling boys, this time removing Remy from the fight.  Kurt launched himself one more time towards the struggling boy, but was abruptly stopped mid-air.

The room quieted at the figure suspended, as the students looked slowly towards one another.  A small blonde figure walked through the crowd, a much larger one behind her.

_"Весь американец - это очень как животные?"_ [4]

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**Footnotes**

[1]  "Get your filthy hands off of my sister!"

[2]  "Go to Hell!"

[3]  "You bit me, you little Fucker!"

[4]  "Are all Americans this much like Animals?"


End file.
